1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: From UFOs to ghosts and government cover ups. History is 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to now. Hello, 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 1: welcome back to the show. My name is Matt and 5 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,920 Speaker 1: I'm Ben, and today we have a very special guest 6 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: with us. Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to introduce you 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: someone you probably already know if you have checked out 8 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: any How Stuff Works podcast. That is Lauren Vogel Bam. 9 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 1: How's it going, Lauren? Not too bad? How about you guys? 10 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: It's going pretty well? Yes, nice to see you in 11 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: here with us. Yeah, with our super producer Knowles, and 12 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: I like. I like what you guys do with the 13 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: studio for for this podcast. It's kind of bright and 14 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: cheery when I'm in here for Forward Thinking. But there's 15 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: kind of this miasma rising up from the floor grates, 16 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: which I didn't even know that we had, so that's 17 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: very fancy. Yeah, that's the miasthma switch over there by 18 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: the on error like I missed it. So, Lauren you 19 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: are you are a numerous podcast with How Stuff Works? Right? Uh? 20 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,119 Speaker 1: Currently I am on Forward Thinking and then I'm also 21 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: onto video shows which you know because you're on them 22 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 1: with me. Then brain Stuff and also what the Stuff. Yes, 23 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: and recently you did a fantastic brain Stuff episode about 24 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 1: uh diamond rings, which inspired us to uh to ask 25 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: you to come beyond this podcast. And I don't know 26 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: about you, Matt, but I'm super excited that she's here. 27 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I got to watch the video a couple 28 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: of times now, just to make sure I understood some 29 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: of the facts, because I think you laid out a 30 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: lot of the things we're going to talk about um 31 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: in some disturbing detail. Yeah. I was trying in the 32 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: brain Stuff episode to be really straightforward about it. The 33 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: episode was about why diamonds appear in engagement rings so frequently, 34 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: because that was not always the case, and as it 35 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: turns out, it's due to advertising. And I have a 36 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: lot of feelings of at it that I could not 37 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: put in that episode, because, yeah, we were trying not 38 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: to piss everyone on YouTube off entirely. I wanted to 39 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 1: present the facts right, Yeah, and we I think there 40 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: was a there was a definite diplomatic tone to to 41 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:21,079 Speaker 1: that episode, but we wanted to delve into some of 42 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,119 Speaker 1: the dirty secrets, the things you might not know about diamonds, 43 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: and what show better than stuff they want you to 44 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: know for this, and what guest host better than our 45 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: resident diamond expert. Now okay, no pressure, sure, thanks, thanks. 46 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: Let's get into the science of what a diamond is. 47 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: Just to set up some background here, a diamond is 48 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: nothing more than highly compressed carbon, the stuff that makes 49 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: up you and me and all of the life that 50 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: lives on this planet that can be considered living, at 51 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,679 Speaker 1: least that we know of and on this planet. Yeah, 52 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: it's a if we want to get fancy, if you 53 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: want to get fancy, it's a meta stable allotrope of carbon, 54 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: which is what you should say if you want to 55 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: look like a nerd at the jewelry store. And we'll 56 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 1: talk about we'll talk about whether you should go to 57 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: a jeweler at some point. Yea wait, let me get 58 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: that again. Meta what is it? Meta stable allotrope of carbon. 59 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: Meta stable. That means that it's really crystallized. Okay, it's crystallized. Um, yeah, 60 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: which is part of the big the big draw for diamonds, right. Well, yeah, 61 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: they're I mean, they're super awesome when you get down 62 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: to it. They are crystallized a hundred miles below the 63 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: Earth's surface under these tremendous pressures and temperatures um and 64 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: I can say the numbers out loud, and two or 65 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: four takes at least uh, it's four hundred and thirty thousand, 66 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: one hundred and thirteen pounds per square inch and temperatures 67 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: of above uh four hundred degrees celsius, which equals out 68 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: to about seven degrees fahrenheit, which is really warm. It's 69 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: not it's not chilly. No, No, it's actually the the 70 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: fact that diamonds are made from carbon. As a kid, 71 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: this was always really interesting to me because I don't 72 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: know about you guys, but had my spider sense tingling 73 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: when I first learned that diamonds we may have carbon 74 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: as a child, and I thought, wait, isn't carbon just everywhere? 75 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: Is it? Is it just me? Or is this an 76 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 1: emperor's new clothes situation? And then I didn't think about 77 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: it for years. But it's weird because diamonds are the 78 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: most popular gym, right and Uh, while they're often portrayed 79 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: as a very rare commodity, what we're going to find 80 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:39,119 Speaker 1: out is that that is not entirely uh the case, 81 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: and not the case, it's just flat not and well, 82 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,600 Speaker 1: well it was before the eighteen seventies or so. Yes, 83 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:51,279 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventies, specific thing happened that blew the market 84 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: right open. Yeah, and we're going to find out what 85 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: that thing is. So as gems go, diamonds are actually 86 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: the most common. And it sounds weird, but if you 87 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: think about it, there's a reason why seventy of brides 88 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: in the US where a diamond ring. Right, That's a 89 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: stat that I didn't just make up. It comes from 90 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: a guy named Kenneth Gassman, who is president of the 91 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: Jewelry Industry Research Institute, which is what a what a 92 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: when an institute? What a weird job? To explain what 93 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,919 Speaker 1: do you do work at the institute? I would just 94 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: say the institute ever, all of them, just no matter 95 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: what it is, any institute. All right, So well, let's 96 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:31,600 Speaker 1: go ahead and talk about the elephant in the room then, 97 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: de Beers. What's what's up with de Beers? Well, de 98 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: Beers is a company that controls much of the world's 99 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: diamond supply in their South Africa based company, and well, 100 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: they it's interesting we refer to them a lot as 101 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: the cartel, the the de Beers Cartel, and this is fascinating. 102 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: I've been I wonder if you could go into a 103 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: little bit about why we call them the cartel because 104 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: they're Diamond Cartel met right, because they're they're a bunch 105 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: of people, a bunch of separate groups almost, that came 106 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,280 Speaker 1: together to form this thing. That's what we we've talked 107 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: about Cartel's before, and you have to imagine it when 108 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,159 Speaker 1: we talk about conspiracies a lot of times we I 109 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: know I'm going a little off book here, sorry, but 110 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 1: we we talk about groups of people who conspire together 111 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: to get things done that may or may not be 112 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: above board, and this group really just meets those qualifications 113 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: really well, yeah we should, we should. Yeah. So we 114 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: also know that this group debars although they get a 115 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: lot of bad press and they get a lot of 116 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: good press. I assume, uh, they are just inundated in 117 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 1: the conspiracy world because of their founders, Cecil Roads or 118 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:49,800 Speaker 1: maybe it's pronounced Cecil. I imagine he was. He was 119 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: a British fellow. So yeah, so it was Cecil. Yeah. 120 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: Oh that's great. Okay, Well, now I like him more 121 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: so he I don't know if I should. That's kind 122 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: of an arbitrary of reason, but he didn't just starts. 123 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:05,039 Speaker 1: Uh No, well, okay, So in eighteen seventy eight, deposit 124 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 1: of diamonds was discovered in South Africa, and this was 125 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: the first time that a large number of diamonds had 126 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 1: ever been found anywhere before then you had to pan 127 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: them individually out of rivers. It was backbreaking, silly work 128 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: because like, who knows where a diamond's gonna show up? Nobody, um. 129 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: And that's why, that's why they were so valued, because 130 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: there weren't any of them basically anywhere. Um. And then 131 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, this this mine opened up. There 132 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: was a huge boom, similar to the gold boom here 133 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: in the United States, and Uh, this this dude, this 134 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: British dude, Cecil Roads, moved in and uh started buying 135 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: up all of this property around South Africa, including the 136 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: farm of two brothers by the names of Didric and 137 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: Johannes de Beer. Yes yes where the name comes from. Uh. 138 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: Cecil started out renting some pumping machines to people and 139 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 1: as he began playing this real life man Coppoly game 140 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: acquiring land, he uh he started to work with these 141 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 1: people to uh to I guess maybe the right word 142 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 1: at this point is to develop the mining infrastructure, right 143 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: and uh along the way, cecilta very busy life. So 144 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: those of you who are familiar with Cecil Rhodes probably 145 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: want us to mention the founding of Rhodesia, the land, 146 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: the racially motivated land grabs. Uh, the let's see what else, 147 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 1: the Rhodes scholarship, the various secret societies that this man 148 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: is accused of either being a member of or founding himself. Uh. 149 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: Some of those accusations holds, some holdsome truth, right, the 150 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: racism and stuff, and other ones have yet to be proven. 151 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: Is probably the nicest thing we could say about them. 152 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: But this we know. He met those brothers, right and 153 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:56,320 Speaker 1: he uh, he said, guys, diamonds, I see, I see 154 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: you have a nice little farm there. Yeah, I think 155 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: I'd like to on that. And then he did, Um, 156 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,719 Speaker 1: I'm not I'm not sure. Actually I've not heard the 157 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,079 Speaker 1: story of how De Beers became the name of the company. Uh. Yeah, 158 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 1: I think it's found in the partnership because Cecil partnered 159 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: up with a couple of other people. Currently believed the 160 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: Beers is still owned by the Oppenheimer family Yeah, they 161 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:23,719 Speaker 1: purchased it in nine in fact, so that was a 162 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: little bit down the road. Now, something that you mentioned 163 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 1: learned that I think we kind of really have to 164 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: hit on here is that diamonds were not all over 165 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: the place. Um, I mean, at least you couldn't just 166 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: go out and get a bunch of diamonds anywhere. And 167 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: what they did they found this huge amount of them. 168 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: So they had to they had to find a way 169 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: to sell these things, right, because they're they're cool gems. 170 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: They look really shiny and pretty and people like those things. 171 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 1: But you've got to find a reason that some that 172 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: ex wealthy person is going to want to buy one 173 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: of these and for a lot of money, because you're 174 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:00,319 Speaker 1: spending quite a bit of money to get them out 175 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: of the ground. Um, it's not easy. I would not 176 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,959 Speaker 1: want to do it personally. Oh no, no, it's yeah. 177 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: We're we'll get into that too. And one of the 178 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: coolest things we're going to talk about is the story 179 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:18,079 Speaker 1: of how diamonds became a necessary part of the everyday life. Yes, 180 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: the conspiracy is a foot not a theory and act 181 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: and actual conspiracy. So we know that we know that 182 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 1: de Beers was enormously successful and and funny thing. I 183 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: feel so bad for those brothers because they sold their claim, 184 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: so they didn't get any benefit from this massive global entity. 185 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 1: I wonder what their grandchildren think about it. They're probably 186 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: so tired of hearing that question, you know, say, oh, oh, 187 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: de Beers, right, you're one of those people, so you 188 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,320 Speaker 1: want to buy me a drink? And they're likely were broke. Yeah, 189 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: they probably quit drinking because of that question. But the 190 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: we know that the company itself is enormously successful. When 191 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: Cecil Rhodes died in nineteen o two, Beers controlled around 192 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: nine of the world's UH diamond market. But where did 193 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: this market come from? That, as you said, it didn't 194 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: really exist prior to eighteen seventy. And we know, as 195 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,079 Speaker 1: as we said, that they are fairly rare. They certainly 196 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: were not considered the hallmark of love and commitment or 197 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:29,320 Speaker 1: whatever that they are considered to day. So so you 198 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: think about it. They they stumbled upon this treasure trove 199 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: of diamonds, this giant box of the open level diamonds. 200 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: Oh what are we gonna do with all these? So 201 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: they've got a massive amount of supply but very little demand. Well, 202 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: relatively little demand at the time. I mean, up until say, 203 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: the end of the First World War, things were going 204 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:52,440 Speaker 1: really well for them. They were controlling the market very carefully. Um, 205 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: they were consolidating all of these smaller diamond corporations leading 206 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 1: up to them controlling into the world's uh supply of it, 207 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: and brought all of this together into such a successful 208 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:10,200 Speaker 1: business model that was just insidious and shiny at the 209 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: same time. Um brilliant. You might say, uh, yeah, um, 210 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: I've already used that punt. I apologized, guys. Um that 211 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: was in the video as well. But but yeah, so 212 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: it was. It was going along like gangbusters right up 213 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:29,680 Speaker 1: until a whole bunch of world market kind of things 214 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 1: lead to diamonds decreasing in popularity pretty intensely. Uh. They 215 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,560 Speaker 1: were considered such a frivolty. In between the First and 216 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: Second World Wars, there were depressions going on all over 217 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 1: the world that no one wanted to buy these things. Right. 218 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: The idea would be, if you have any scratch at all, 219 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,360 Speaker 1: then you should be spending it on something that is 220 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: a necessity. So diamonds became this, um the domain of 221 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,959 Speaker 1: the super wealthy. Yeah, only if you have enough money 222 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: to throw just literally throw away at this diamond. Uh yeah. Yeah. 223 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:08,720 Speaker 1: A very important person who will come up in conversation 224 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,160 Speaker 1: very shortly said that at the time, diamonds were considered 225 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 1: just absolutely money down the drain. Yeah. Yeah, it's so 226 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,959 Speaker 1: funny how diamonds are viewed now, just that idea, right, yeah, 227 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: because so we all know a tail as old as 228 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: time you meet somebody, you fall in love and you say, hey, 229 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: let's make this official. Here's some jewelry, let's do stuff. 230 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:37,679 Speaker 1: I don't know how it works. I'm just so uh so, 231 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: where where did this come from? We know they weren't 232 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: common beforehand. People wanted gems that seemed more exotic, right Yeah. 233 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:49,960 Speaker 1: I think sapphires, opals, and rubies the most popular engagement 234 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,200 Speaker 1: stones before the nineties. Yeah what what what happened to that? 235 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: It turns out that the concept of a diamond engagement 236 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 1: ring or a wedding band is not some ancient tradition 237 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: and dating back to days of your and living in caves. No, 238 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:08,719 Speaker 1: it's the work of one one ad agency. Yeah, I'm 239 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: pretty impressed by Actually, yeah, should I should even say 240 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: the name of the ad agency? Eat? Or should we 241 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: get into that later? We say it three times, they 242 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 1: appear before us. Right, Okay, let's not then, let's just 243 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: be judicious. Go ahead, say it all right once, but 244 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: not three times in a row. N w Airs and Sons. 245 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 1: Now they were fascinating. There's if you go on archive 246 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 1: dot org, you can find a couple of I guess 247 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: it was. I can't tell what the intent was for 248 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: these pamphlets or these short books that they put out, 249 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:41,320 Speaker 1: but one of them was I can forget the name 250 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: of it, but it was about their advertising technique. And 251 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: you can look through this whole book and it teaches you, well, 252 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: really it's more like just somebody kind of boasting about 253 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: how awesome they're ad agency is that's what it feels 254 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 1: like to me, not an ad man doing well. It 255 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: goes into numbers and how big they are and all 256 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:04,440 Speaker 1: the great advertisers that they control. But it's fascinating to 257 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 1: get an insight on this company, and you can kind 258 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 1: of see they're thinking, almost just by reading a couple 259 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: of these pamphlets on how they worked the diamond business. 260 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: They were already really famous by the nineteen thirties for 261 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: doing this deep market research and uh and pulling in 262 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 1: psychological research as well, and it was creepy, it was. 263 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: They were really good at what they did. And so 264 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: when de Beers found themselves in this tight spot, I 265 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: believe it was the heir to the Oppenheimer Empire, and 266 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: he was like twenty nine at the time something like that, 267 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: like definitely under the age of thirty, and he like 268 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: went and had a business lunch or something with the 269 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: head of n W AIR and set up this deal 270 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 1: to have Air look into how they could sell diamonds. Yeah, 271 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 1: because there was a problem. The business was still going, 272 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,960 Speaker 1: but it was ignating, and the markets affected by the 273 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 1: war UH were heavy blow to two Beers because so 274 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: few people would actually buy diamonds, you know. Yeah, only 275 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: some ten percent of US engagement rings at the time 276 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:18,600 Speaker 1: bore diamonds, and that was a fancy ten percent. And additionally, 277 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: the total number of diamonds in the United States had 278 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 1: declined almost in the United States since the close of 279 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: World War One. UH. Europe at the time torn apart 280 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: by war or has burgeoning wars, depending on which country 281 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: you're looking at. UH, and so it they couldn't be 282 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: a diamond market anymore. They were busy trying to stay 283 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 1: alive and the beers have mastered the supply side, but 284 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 1: the beers needed to get this UH to create the 285 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: demand as well. And so the clever folks at in 286 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: w air UH did their weird market research thing, which 287 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: again I totally agree with you guys, it's so creepy, 288 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: especially for that time period. Yeah, and if you think 289 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,119 Speaker 1: about it, it it was actually a fairly on the surface, 290 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: a fairly simple process. They would they would go out 291 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,160 Speaker 1: and just get basically the lay of the lands. Ask people, hey, 292 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:16,400 Speaker 1: what do you think about diamonds? So what's your perception 293 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: of diamonds. Let's talk about who would own a diamond? 294 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: Where where should a diamond go? And after talking to people, 295 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 1: they found that they were seen, like we said, as 296 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 1: a luxury item, something that only someone very rich would have. UM. 297 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:32,880 Speaker 1: So they figured out that they definitely wanted to market 298 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 1: to the US. UH like hardcore. They wanted to just 299 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: go all in and we were going to sell diamonds 300 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:42,880 Speaker 1: to these Americans no matter if they like it or not. UM. 301 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,639 Speaker 1: And again primarily because we as we discussed, Europe was 302 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:51,359 Speaker 1: now engaged in the beginnings of World War two, so 303 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,960 Speaker 1: they really targeted the U S and they targeted the 304 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: us mind, the American mind. Ah, and here we have. 305 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:02,399 Speaker 1: I think now it's time to our one of our protagonists. 306 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: Or maybe she's more of an antihero. Uh. Into the story, 307 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:12,639 Speaker 1: there is a young copywriter who changes the world and 308 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:18,680 Speaker 1: makes the probably the most successful ad campaign in modern history. 309 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:20,679 Speaker 1: I know, was rated as the ad campaign of the 310 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: century uh in two thousand. But but who are we 311 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:28,240 Speaker 1: talking about? Francis Garrity, a young ad woman who had 312 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: actually just been hired in nineteen forty three by nw air. 313 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: She is she is the person. You can read an 314 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: amazing story about her in New York Times. She's the 315 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: person who is racking her brain thinking what do I do? 316 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 1: How do I how do I convince people that this 317 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,399 Speaker 1: thing they absolutely don't need is necessary? Oh? Yeah. She 318 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: was hired to UM to replace a woman who had 319 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:56,680 Speaker 1: just left nw air, and at the time women were 320 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:59,440 Speaker 1: hired to sell things to women. It was considered a 321 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: job only a woman ad copywriter could possibly do. UM 322 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:05,719 Speaker 1: and she was paired with with another lady of her 323 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 1: publicity named Dorothy dig Dignam. Yeah, yeah, she's a she's 324 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: really cool because she had this This is the lady 325 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 1: who had a list of questions that guys would ask 326 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: her about women, like stupid questions like her dude co 327 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:21,360 Speaker 1: workers would come up and be like, is this an 328 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 1: inverted pleet seem And she just kept a list of 329 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 1: these like under her typewriter. She considered this great market 330 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:33,439 Speaker 1: research for things a woman is supposed to know. And 331 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:38,760 Speaker 1: these two people formed this dynamic duo changing the US 332 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 1: and then later the global perception of diamonds. So the 333 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: piece of trivia here that you should walk away with 334 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: is that Francis Garrity ladies and gentlemen, is the woman 335 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: responsible for a diamond is forever. Yes. She wrote that 336 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 1: in nineteen seven. Um they were. She had been on 337 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: the on the team since ninety three, working with n 338 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 1: w Aer and Beers. However, they were looking for a 339 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 1: kind of an all encompassing slogan and she kind of 340 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:07,760 Speaker 1: jotted it down by the bedside one night, realizing that 341 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 1: she had failed to come up with anything that day. 342 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: And when in the next morning and presented it to 343 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 1: the team, and nobody cared. Everyone everyone was like, was like, 344 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,360 Speaker 1: that kind of sucks, but I guess it's the best one. 345 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:22,399 Speaker 1: Let's go with it. Whatever. More Martini's I imagine it's 346 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:27,200 Speaker 1: what's going on that's so funny. Now, some of these 347 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: ads that were developed around that time are pretty out there. 348 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 1: Oh they're great, They're so beautiful. Yeah, that's that's We 349 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:38,159 Speaker 1: have a we have a couple queued up that we 350 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,600 Speaker 1: were hoping ladies and gentlemen you would enjoy hearing. And again, 351 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: this is just a piece of history. I don't think 352 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:49,720 Speaker 1: people write ads this way anymore, at least not in English. Uh. 353 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:52,439 Speaker 1: There there's some magazine ads that I think have longer copy, 354 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,680 Speaker 1: not along these lines. Though, not along these lines, h nett. 355 00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:58,920 Speaker 1: Do you want? Do you want to read one for us? Sure? 356 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: So there's one here called the Star of Hope, and 357 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna read it for you. The engagement diamond 358 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,440 Speaker 1: on her finger is as bright as a tear, but 359 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,920 Speaker 1: not with sadness like her eyes. It holds a promise 360 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: of cool dawns together, of life grown rich and full 361 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: and tranquil. It's lovely assurance, shines through all the hours 362 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: of waiting, to kindle with joy and precious meaning at 363 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:30,400 Speaker 1: the beginning of their new life, to be bravo beautiful. Yeah, 364 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:37,160 Speaker 1: maybe I was wrong about diamonds. I think I need sound. Yeah, 365 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: the My reading is not going to be quite as 366 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 1: dramatically interpretive as as yours. Come on, don't sell yourself. 367 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,639 Speaker 1: Sure you can do this. This this one was called 368 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: Majesty of Love, told in starlight. Yes, all right, I'm 369 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:58,480 Speaker 1: on board. Inflaming glory, kingly Leo stands exalted at the sky, 370 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,640 Speaker 1: a star bright on our lover's look too, as they dream. 371 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:06,359 Speaker 1: Even before sears first sighted, this royal symbol one star 372 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:10,440 Speaker 1: was formed in the earth to someday shine for you. 373 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 1: Your engagement diamond with noble fire reflects the greatness of 374 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:19,400 Speaker 1: your love and all its majesty man. And that's where 375 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,600 Speaker 1: I had to stop transcribing because I was laughing too. 376 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,200 Speaker 1: It's beautiful writing. Actually, it's just what I'm noticing here 377 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 1: with both of these. It's really nice. It's a different time. Yeah. 378 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: I mean if someone had written that to me, I 379 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,240 Speaker 1: would have been like, I'm not sure why you're selling 380 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: me stuff, But that's really nice. Thank you didn't know 381 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,840 Speaker 1: you cared. So yeah, this capitalized on this thing. They said, Okay, 382 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: if diamond doesn't have an intrinsic physical value, right, it's 383 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:55,160 Speaker 1: not ductile like gold. It's uh. It is widely used 384 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:57,960 Speaker 1: in industrial applications, but not so much at the time. 385 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: They just had a well load of diamonds, several boatloads 386 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: of diamonds, and they said, well, how do we convince 387 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: people we need these? We do it with this, this 388 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 1: flowery language. We give you an emotional attachment, this love 389 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: or this diamond becomes a symbol of love. And they said, wait, wait, wait, wait, 390 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 1: people break up though. Yeah, I know, even in the 391 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,359 Speaker 1: forties people broke up. So, uh, we've got to make 392 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: sure that they don't resell these diamonds. Yeah, we can't 393 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 1: have them just flooding the market again afterwards. Yeah. By 394 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,119 Speaker 1: controlling the market, you have to control the after sale 395 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:34,920 Speaker 1: as well. Yes, it's worth more if they keep them forever. Ah, yes, 396 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:41,360 Speaker 1: because you wouldn't want to throw away uh Grandma's engagement ring. Right, 397 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 1: that's a precious family heirloom. It means way more to 398 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: you than it could possibly mean if you tried to 399 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: sell it back, which is lucky because if you do 400 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: try to sell a diamond back, you're not really going 401 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,640 Speaker 1: to get any money for it. Right. Yeah, it's it's 402 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:56,880 Speaker 1: like buying a boat or something. You lose so much 403 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,240 Speaker 1: value as soon as you leave the store. Uh. The 404 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: so the agency saw tremendous success. Uh. And the beers 405 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:11,000 Speaker 1: of course saw success. In between n the sales in 406 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:16,720 Speaker 1: diamonds in the United States, which was tumbling downward, increased 407 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 1: by fifty Yeah in what in four years? That's crazy, Okay, Yeah, 408 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: from I can imagine those meetings, like the top company meeting, 409 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:31,439 Speaker 1: and there's like, oh, well, great job everyone, Bonus for you, 410 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:34,520 Speaker 1: bonus for you, bonus for you. I hope Francis got 411 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 1: something because she, as she was, she was later going 412 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 1: to be instrumental in this right. She she reportedly did 413 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:47,080 Speaker 1: not see a whole lot of success during during certainly 414 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,120 Speaker 1: her her time at n w AIR. I've read and 415 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 1: and this mayor may not be apocryphal. I haven't like 416 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: double checked and found primary sources. I haven't talked to 417 00:24:55,600 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: her because she passed away, but um, but she, Yeah, 418 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:04,160 Speaker 1: definitely hit that glass ceiling that was so common, especially 419 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,160 Speaker 1: for women, especially in ad agencies agencies at the time, 420 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: which is a shame, because they had some brilliant and 421 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,160 Speaker 1: innovative ideas. And I believe it was the publicist who 422 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 1: started saying, if we'll get the little ones rather the 423 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:22,679 Speaker 1: the less money customers by getting them to emulate the 424 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: big ones. Right, oh right, Yeah, she uh really pushed 425 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: diamonds to be to be rented out or not even rented, 426 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: but just loaned out to celebrities and socialites and people 427 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:38,040 Speaker 1: like that for photo shoots and engagement shoots, for movies, 428 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:44,359 Speaker 1: for the red carpet, anything like that. Brilliant. Yeah, she 429 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 1: wrote a newspaper article that would describe celebrities, but it 430 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:53,400 Speaker 1: was totally diamond advertisement column. She was she was writing 431 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 1: under a fake names. Yeah, yeah, it was like diamond 432 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: Dot or something. Yeah, as we said, a little a 433 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 1: little little bit heavy handed, but it worked. They also 434 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:07,480 Speaker 1: created the four seas criteria and that's uh, what are 435 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:12,679 Speaker 1: the clarity, clarity, cut, color, and carrot weight. Yeah, that 436 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 1: actually wouldn't come into play until the nineteen sixties, and 437 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: that was because another mind was discovered in Siberia and 438 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,639 Speaker 1: because they realized that the conditions were kind of similar. 439 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:24,760 Speaker 1: So they had all of these people out looking for 440 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,720 Speaker 1: minds in Russia around that time, or I suppose the 441 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:31,440 Speaker 1: the USSR as it was then in history. Oh, yes, 442 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,640 Speaker 1: that it was. We've I love that time. It's very 443 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,320 Speaker 1: interesting time. And I bring up the topic of these 444 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:41,720 Speaker 1: Russian or Soviet minds, because the diamonds that were found 445 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,200 Speaker 1: in these minds were very much smaller than the South 446 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: African diamonds they I mean relatively tiny, and so they 447 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,400 Speaker 1: had this huge influx of very small diamonds. People had 448 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,720 Speaker 1: previously been taught to buy bigger and bigger diamonds as 449 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:57,119 Speaker 1: the more worthwhile ones, and so now they were like, 450 00:26:57,640 --> 00:26:59,200 Speaker 1: how are we going to get people to buy these 451 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: tiny things? And they were like, well, a small diamond 452 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: can still be worth just as much if it's really 453 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: uh quality. Okay, they changed the criteria for the valuation 454 00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:17,280 Speaker 1: of the stone. Okay, But anyway, another thing happened in 455 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:19,920 Speaker 1: the sixties in Japan, which was kind of a Western 456 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:24,200 Speaker 1: culture invasion that was occurring. So there's a whole another 457 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,240 Speaker 1: market that beers could look at and go, hey, let's 458 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 1: exploit this one now, guys. Yeah, post war, they started 459 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:34,919 Speaker 1: expanding throughout Europe and Japan. They saw enormous success and 460 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: they would repeat um the success of their US market 461 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: in half the time. Jeez, and guys, we know it 462 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 1: might sound like we're being a little bit snarky and 463 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 1: maybe think that we're giving to beers the short end 464 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 1: of some figurative stick. I will say that we have 465 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:58,000 Speaker 1: several proven horrible things, and horrible is a fair word. 466 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 1: So let's talk just a little bit about the uh, 467 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 1: the actual diamonds conspiracies, right really quickly. Before we get 468 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: into the conspiratorial part, I just have to say, because 469 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: there's some really dark things in here, and it makes 470 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: me feel pretty terrible about my previous actions. Um. But, 471 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:17,920 Speaker 1: as most of you know, I am married. I got 472 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 1: married in two thousand nine, and I did buy a 473 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:24,960 Speaker 1: diamond ring for my wife and I. It was when 474 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:26,359 Speaker 1: I bought it, it was right around the time of 475 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 1: the crash in two thousand seven, tight, and there was 476 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: a diamond business going out of business in the mall 477 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:38,080 Speaker 1: where we used to work, and it was like eighty 478 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 1: percent off. Oh I remember this eighty percent off and 479 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: it's I think, I don't. I mean, I bought this 480 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 1: thing for nothing and it was a fairly large Like 481 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 1: there's no way I could have afforded this diamond unless 482 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: it was this you know, cheap, and even then I 483 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: had to spend way more money than I should have 484 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 1: on it. But the numbers I've seen our like one 485 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:05,320 Speaker 1: percent retail markup. That's insane to me, and I was. 486 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 1: I felt tremendous pressure, not only from society but not 487 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 1: necessarily from my wife and her family, but just I 488 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: felt like I had to get something that would make 489 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:22,240 Speaker 1: her feel like she's worth more. Right, Yeah, and and 490 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: I don't know how much of that would put on myself. 491 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:28,520 Speaker 1: But still it's crazy to think that I could have 492 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: saved that money or do you've done something else with 493 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:34,360 Speaker 1: we could have use that money for our house that 494 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,240 Speaker 1: we ended up buying. I mean, it's just really it's 495 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,040 Speaker 1: really interesting when I look at myself and how I 496 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: was somewhat a lot manipulated, were totally suckered into more 497 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 1: wing suits. Well, okay, two things before before you move on. 498 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,920 Speaker 1: First of all, it's you and like of the U 499 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,960 Speaker 1: S population, And that's a relatively low estimate, like I've 500 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: seen it as high. So you are not alone in 501 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 1: this um and and too. This is something of a 502 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 1: side note, but I but I forgot to mention it earlier. 503 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,880 Speaker 1: Another interesting thing that happened with marriage in the nineteen 504 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: thirties and forties that I think possibly helped helped diamonds 505 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: boom out was that UM marriage laws were changing. Okay, 506 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 1: previous two. Then there was a law in place in 507 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:26,520 Speaker 1: most states that allowed women who had been engaged I 508 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:30,440 Speaker 1: if the engagement broke off, they could sue their ex 509 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 1: fiance for damages. By damages, I mean they had maybe 510 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:38,719 Speaker 1: had premarital sex and then she would be less marriageable 511 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 1: and so a lady could sue. Um. Those laws started 512 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:47,280 Speaker 1: being stricken down in the nineteen thirties and forties, and so, uh, 513 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,120 Speaker 1: I think that that it was a happy chance for 514 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:54,760 Speaker 1: to Beers that these diamond engagement rings were suddenly seen 515 00:30:54,920 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: as assurance of value. Yeah, insurance insurance, absolutely, yeah, And 516 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 1: you're you're absolutely right and with this with this market, 517 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 1: and I don't know, I I think you guys are 518 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 1: right because it has to be somewhat of a happy accident. 519 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 1: You can't we can't say that the Beer's somehow changed 520 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:19,280 Speaker 1: marriage laws, you know, and they just happened to be 521 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 1: around at the same time. And uh, maybe they did. 522 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,080 Speaker 1: I don't know. You have money in the right hands. 523 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:30,920 Speaker 1: Oppenheimer was a big, big, powerful family, yes, and still 524 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 1: are to this day. Uh. And now we can talk 525 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,720 Speaker 1: about some of the things that the Beers has done 526 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 1: in the past and in the future to get a 527 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,840 Speaker 1: diamond from the ground to you if you were a 528 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:46,480 Speaker 1: person buying diamonds. They do restrict access, we know that 529 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: to ensure a higher price for stone, and they do 530 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 1: it through a very interesting I think interesting is a 531 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,760 Speaker 1: fair work, very interesting method. There are fewer than two 532 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: people or entities that come by these uncut diamonds. The 533 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: beers does uncut diamonds, and uncut diamonds are not that impressive, right, 534 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 1: the courts almost like it could be just a crystal. Yes. 535 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:15,680 Speaker 1: So these people who these two hundred in that rarefied air, 536 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:19,240 Speaker 1: they're called site holders, and they purchased the diamonds through 537 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: something called the central Selling organization, which is a thing 538 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,760 Speaker 1: that the beer zones. Right, They sell a parcel of 539 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,520 Speaker 1: these uncut diamonds to one of these site holders. The 540 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 1: site holder then sends the diamonds to a cutting facility, 541 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 1: and then it goes to distributors. And then you get 542 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,760 Speaker 1: the advertisement which is so famous in our neck of 543 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:46,160 Speaker 1: the woods. Uh, you get the Shane company guy, right, yeah, 544 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,800 Speaker 1: do you want? And I know, I know that I'm 545 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:52,480 Speaker 1: putting you on the spot, but it's a really good one. Alright. 546 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:56,400 Speaker 1: Let's let's see if I can find him the Shane company. 547 00:32:56,640 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 1: Now you have a friend in the diamond business. You 548 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:03,280 Speaker 1: were killing it with the voices today, the right man. 549 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:05,360 Speaker 1: I'm trying really hard. I'm trying to impress you guys. 550 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: Well it is working cool. So uh So, we we 551 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:14,240 Speaker 1: have this this strange business model and it is so 552 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 1: successful that even other diamond producers who are not associated 553 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:20,800 Speaker 1: with the beers, there are a few, uh in Russia 554 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: and Australia, are still affected by the prices set by 555 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 1: this Cso you've got to understand that the actual supply 556 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:33,640 Speaker 1: that's just out in distribution is so smaller, so much 557 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,440 Speaker 1: smaller than the actual number of diamonds that are ready 558 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:40,880 Speaker 1: to be sent out if they need be So I mean, 559 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:42,960 Speaker 1: what do they just have giant warehouses full of them? 560 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:48,880 Speaker 1: No way, Yep, yes they do, like Indiana Jones style. Yeah, 561 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:53,120 Speaker 1: top men. Yeah, there is a warehouse in London that 562 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:58,239 Speaker 1: just has a lot of uncut stones waiting for that 563 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:01,959 Speaker 1: distribution period where they talk to to the site holders 564 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:06,200 Speaker 1: who will later send stuff to the diamond cutters. Now, 565 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,719 Speaker 1: one of the big things that if you're listening to 566 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:11,879 Speaker 1: this now you probably tuned in expecting to hear, would 567 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 1: be some of the facts about blood diamonds or conflict diamonds, 568 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:19,399 Speaker 1: which is the less sensational term. But what are they? 569 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 1: What what's going on with these? Well, like we said earlier, 570 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:26,960 Speaker 1: the process of collecting and getting diamonds out of the 571 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,279 Speaker 1: earth is not an easy one. It's not a glamorous 572 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:34,240 Speaker 1: one and it's not a high paying job in any 573 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:38,640 Speaker 1: way whatsoever. It's it's not really easily mechanized either. No, 574 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,040 Speaker 1: this is done by hand, and it's done in places 575 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,279 Speaker 1: that a lot of times have been destabilized or are 576 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 1: just not stable. Um I should have put that the 577 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,200 Speaker 1: other way, if they're not stable or they've been destabilized. 578 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:56,160 Speaker 1: But yeah, they there is conflict in that area. A 579 00:34:56,200 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: lot of it's in South Africa, at least Bridge originally 580 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:05,240 Speaker 1: especially that's where it was done. So this, this idea 581 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:10,359 Speaker 1: here is that these diamonds sales are fueling local malitious 582 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 1: or what would essentially be terrorist groups, right and uh. 583 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:19,520 Speaker 1: Separatist factions are able to garner control of a mind 584 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:23,680 Speaker 1: and then sell the uncut stones under the table to 585 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,720 Speaker 1: unscrupulous suppliers who then give them cash that these groups 586 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:31,919 Speaker 1: will use to buy more weapons. Typically, I mean they're 587 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 1: not buying wingsuits. It's the same black market situation that 588 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 1: we've talked about a lot of their podcast, especially like 589 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:40,800 Speaker 1: the drug trade. Black markets that are created when something 590 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:43,960 Speaker 1: is outlawed. But in this situation, there's nothing that's outlawed. 591 00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:46,759 Speaker 1: It's just you've got a lot of guns and you 592 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:50,480 Speaker 1: can take control over an area. Um. It's a very 593 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 1: dangerous situation near a lot of these minds, um, and 594 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:57,879 Speaker 1: a lot of the you don't really know if the 595 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,719 Speaker 1: gems that you're getting, Like before this thing that we're 596 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:03,360 Speaker 1: going about to talk about, you didn't know if the 597 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:08,080 Speaker 1: gems you're getting are clean. Let's say we're not. Arguably 598 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 1: still don't. Oh sure. Well, there was a there was 599 00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:14,279 Speaker 1: a big I believe, media blitz that occurred in what 600 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:18,640 Speaker 1: the yeah, um that brought this to the public's attention. 601 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 1: And of course, of course Beers wasn't really happy about 602 00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:26,840 Speaker 1: loss of sales. I'm sure they were also not happy 603 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:30,000 Speaker 1: about loss of life. Maybe they didn't know that this 604 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:37,520 Speaker 1: kind of thing was going on. I'm not saying they're heartless, yeah, 605 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:40,320 Speaker 1: But so they got together with the u N and created, 606 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:46,080 Speaker 1: uh this this Kimberly process. Yeah, that's the way of 607 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:51,400 Speaker 1: authenticating a diamond and saying this came from a legit mind, 608 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:55,920 Speaker 1: that it was not used to fuel atrocities. I think 609 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:59,879 Speaker 1: that they should call them legit diamonds, not conflict free diamonds. Yeah, yeah, 610 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,239 Speaker 1: cause you still immediately think of the conflict, right, and 611 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:05,719 Speaker 1: we should start working for airs. You guys are just 612 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:09,080 Speaker 1: the beers directly. You've got some great ideas. You know, 613 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,840 Speaker 1: we call them clear conscience diamonds. I don't know. I 614 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:14,799 Speaker 1: like that, Yeah, I get their Yeah. And also it's 615 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:20,120 Speaker 1: one of the four seas clear right now it's five season. 616 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 1: Well now we're now we're becoming the bad guys here. 617 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 1: The thing with the Kimberley process is that it does 618 00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:33,640 Speaker 1: not track individual stones, attracts batches of stones, and it 619 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:37,080 Speaker 1: has a lot of criticism. You will see you will 620 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 1: see ratings as high as of diamonds being conflict free. 621 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:45,359 Speaker 1: Now thinks the Kimberley process. But it hinges on what 622 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:48,879 Speaker 1: you define. Uh, it hinges on your definition terms. Right, 623 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: Maybe maybe all of the bad batches of of conflict 624 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 1: diamonds are in that warehouse in London. Maybe they can 625 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:58,279 Speaker 1: till they can pass. It must be like customs till 626 00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:02,640 Speaker 1: they can pass customs under assumed diamond didnic That's what 627 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:05,680 Speaker 1: it is. I'm joking around, but but, but, but it 628 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:10,759 Speaker 1: is a really unsettling issue. Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, I'm 629 00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:15,000 Speaker 1: being so joky about it. This is a horrifying reality. 630 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:18,160 Speaker 1: It's it's it's almost impossible I find to to not 631 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 1: kind of be light about this sort of thing, just 632 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:22,840 Speaker 1: so that I'm not in here just sobbing onto the 633 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:26,480 Speaker 1: microphone cover, especially when I think about the diamonds that 634 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:30,359 Speaker 1: are on my wife's finger. So yeah, well, they you 635 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:36,400 Speaker 1: know it's doing something, But candidly speaking, the the effects 636 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:40,239 Speaker 1: are middling and into at least if you listen to 637 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:43,160 Speaker 1: the critics. In fact, one of the nonprofit groups that's 638 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:47,920 Speaker 1: created the Kimberly process, this place called Global Witness, they're 639 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:51,120 Speaker 1: not going to participate in it. In two thousand eleven, Yeah, 640 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:53,000 Speaker 1: they said they're out of it, and they called it 641 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:57,360 Speaker 1: an accomplice to diamond laundering. Because, yeah, the weakness of 642 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:01,160 Speaker 1: the Kimberly process is that it depends upon paperwork and 643 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:05,960 Speaker 1: bureaucracy in some of the easily most corrupt areas of 644 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:09,200 Speaker 1: the world. So how much do you have to pay 645 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:14,520 Speaker 1: somebody to stamp your diamonds? And launder them. When you 646 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,560 Speaker 1: own a diamond cartel, you have money to do it. 647 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:22,120 Speaker 1: So yeah, Also, diamond launderer just sounds like a cool job. 648 00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:26,160 Speaker 1: I like that. Uh. And I am going to Matt. 649 00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:28,320 Speaker 1: I feel like I've unfairly put you on the spot 650 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,160 Speaker 1: asking you to do some voices. So I'm gonna do 651 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:35,840 Speaker 1: Leonardo DiCaprio from Blood Diamonds. So I've been waiting for this. 652 00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:41,040 Speaker 1: They have a wood the people locked me and bom too. 653 00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:45,040 Speaker 1: It means what mining Knifrica. That's it. That's all I got. 654 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:48,600 Speaker 1: That was great. That's pretty good. Better than my Leonardo DiCaprio. 655 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,960 Speaker 1: Do you have a Leonardo di Caprio? That's okay? All right, Well, 656 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:54,840 Speaker 1: if you want to play then in surprises with it. 657 00:39:55,640 --> 00:39:59,480 Speaker 1: We we could definitely use some lighthearted stuff in As 658 00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:04,080 Speaker 1: we said, very a very heavy and difficult issue because 659 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:08,800 Speaker 1: the conflict diamonds, or the the price that people pay 660 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,960 Speaker 1: in human life doesn't stop at the mind. In India, 661 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:16,520 Speaker 1: where the vast majority of the world, smaller diamonds are cut, 662 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:19,799 Speaker 1: it depends upon child labor. There's no way around that. 663 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:22,759 Speaker 1: And that's because of the size of the diamonds, right, 664 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:26,600 Speaker 1: and because their tiny hands are the best getting Oh, 665 00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:31,120 Speaker 1: that's okay, yep, that's okay, the truth. Yeah, and there 666 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:33,879 Speaker 1: are all kinds of effects on kids who work in 667 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:37,120 Speaker 1: this kind of field, if you won't even call it that. 668 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:40,680 Speaker 1: There's all kinds of things like severe eyestream motion injuries, 669 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:44,640 Speaker 1: long infections from inhaling diamond dust when they're cutting diamonds. 670 00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:49,680 Speaker 1: And those are just a few of the things that 671 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:52,640 Speaker 1: that these children are affective with. And and that's that's 672 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,320 Speaker 1: freaking depressing. Yeah. Our Valentine's episode is turned out to 673 00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:57,920 Speaker 1: be kind of a down in you guys. So the 674 00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:01,320 Speaker 1: beer has also has some legal issues. They can't exist 675 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:06,239 Speaker 1: in countries with antitrust laws, which, although Comcast may not 676 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:10,279 Speaker 1: have heard, the United States still has uh. The The 677 00:41:10,360 --> 00:41:13,560 Speaker 1: antitrust laws in the United States, while not perfect, do 678 00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:17,880 Speaker 1: UH create a large obstacle for de beers, which is 679 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:21,440 Speaker 1: why you see it working through intermediaries, retail jewelers. You 680 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:24,799 Speaker 1: see those vague ad campaigns. There was one where there's 681 00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:29,280 Speaker 1: just two silhouettes meeting and only over the range is visible, 682 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:34,160 Speaker 1: which I thought was pretty cool actually. Uh. Numerous academics 683 00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:38,120 Speaker 1: have also accused of beers of either accidentally supporting conflicts 684 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:42,640 Speaker 1: in Sierra Leone, South Africa other areas of the continent, 685 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:50,880 Speaker 1: or purposefully destabilizing an area to gain control of a mind. No, 686 00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:56,920 Speaker 1: you don't like it. I don't like it one bit. However, 687 00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:01,520 Speaker 1: the Beers was in you escorts as recently as two 688 00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:04,720 Speaker 1: thousand and four when they pled guilty to price fixing 689 00:42:06,160 --> 00:42:09,479 Speaker 1: in an effort to get into the United States. Uh. 690 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:12,520 Speaker 1: And you'll be glad to know, Matt, that the United 691 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:16,200 Speaker 1: States remains the biggest single market in the in the 692 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:19,160 Speaker 1: diamond business. Oh well, good, well, I'm not the only sucker. 693 00:42:19,239 --> 00:42:23,680 Speaker 1: Thank you. Also learned for your reassurance earlier. There's one 694 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:25,640 Speaker 1: other thing we should talk about, though, and that's the 695 00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:29,759 Speaker 1: future of diamonds, right, which which is going to be 696 00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:34,839 Speaker 1: changing due to the advent of synthetic diamonds. Yeah. Lab 697 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:39,759 Speaker 1: created diamonds are pretty nifty and probably conflict free. I mean, 698 00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,319 Speaker 1: there might be people arguing in the lab, but I 699 00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:44,920 Speaker 1: don't know how far they went with it. Through a 700 00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:49,560 Speaker 1: process called chemical vapor deposition, Uh, these these diamonds can 701 00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:54,800 Speaker 1: be created to a point where they are as good 702 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:57,760 Speaker 1: as a natural diamonds, so much so that the differences 703 00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:01,200 Speaker 1: are indiscernible. It can even be more pure more. Uh, 704 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:04,480 Speaker 1: it can be created better. We can make them better 705 00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:07,920 Speaker 1: and we faster, more seductive, right And the coolest thing 706 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:10,520 Speaker 1: to me is that we can recreate those pressures and 707 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:14,319 Speaker 1: the heat that exists so deep in the earth. Yeah 708 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:17,080 Speaker 1: yeah um. And traditionally I think this process has been 709 00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:21,880 Speaker 1: used for uh scientific diamonds, because diamonds are are tremendously 710 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:27,760 Speaker 1: useful in certain lab applications, mostly involving lasers and cool 711 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:31,760 Speaker 1: pepe stuff like that. Yeah uh. And the lower quality 712 00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:33,279 Speaker 1: ones are the ones that you're going to see on 713 00:43:33,320 --> 00:43:36,520 Speaker 1: a on a saw or something like that. You probably 714 00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:39,120 Speaker 1: don't need to turn to a lab to create a 715 00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:41,520 Speaker 1: diamond good enough to grind up and put on a 716 00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:44,759 Speaker 1: saw blade, but maybe you should. Maybe that would really 717 00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:47,120 Speaker 1: be better for all of us. And and the prices 718 00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:50,640 Speaker 1: are starting to come down. I think as this technology 719 00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:55,160 Speaker 1: uh improves, improves is a good word, yes, And so 720 00:43:55,320 --> 00:44:00,160 Speaker 1: hopefully I'm personally crossing my fingers that this will be 721 00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:02,840 Speaker 1: able to create a second market, or I guess the 722 00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:07,600 Speaker 1: third market, because there's a second market of of vintage diamonds, right, yeah, 723 00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:11,360 Speaker 1: the heirlooms you find at estate sales in the culture. 724 00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:16,200 Speaker 1: I would say is arguably shifting away at least slightly 725 00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:21,920 Speaker 1: from diamonds. And I remember I had the conversation with 726 00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:24,120 Speaker 1: my wife before purchasing a diamond whether or not we 727 00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:27,160 Speaker 1: should get a diamond because of things like that movie 728 00:44:27,239 --> 00:44:29,040 Speaker 1: that we kind of made fun of. But the Blood 729 00:44:29,040 --> 00:44:33,360 Speaker 1: Diamonds movie and awareness that was created around that time. Uh, 730 00:44:33,719 --> 00:44:37,680 Speaker 1: for me at least and maybe my generation, we almost 731 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:41,560 Speaker 1: didn't get one, but then we did. Also, I wasn't 732 00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:44,120 Speaker 1: making fun of that movie. I watched it this week 733 00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:48,120 Speaker 1: early nice Okay, Okay, I just don't why. I don't 734 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:51,920 Speaker 1: want people to feel like I'm unfairly dismissing Blood diamond 735 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:56,360 Speaker 1: and on this show we do try to be fair. 736 00:44:56,400 --> 00:45:01,440 Speaker 1: This leads us to some interesting questions. Two beers. The 737 00:45:01,600 --> 00:45:08,120 Speaker 1: organization itself UM has has clearly and provably done terrible 738 00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:13,120 Speaker 1: things in the past. But is the Beers wrong for 739 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:17,719 Speaker 1: convincing the world that they need this thing that they 740 00:45:17,719 --> 00:45:21,200 Speaker 1: don't need? Is that wrong or is that business that's wrong? 741 00:45:23,680 --> 00:45:26,239 Speaker 1: Flat out not? Okay? Um, Well, I mean it's very 742 00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:31,719 Speaker 1: clever business. It's mind blowing lee impressive what they have 743 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:36,000 Speaker 1: done with this commodity that was previously worthless that is 744 00:45:36,040 --> 00:45:39,920 Speaker 1: now on the finger of a near countless number of 745 00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:42,200 Speaker 1: people around the world. Yeah, it's kind of like lobster. 746 00:45:42,440 --> 00:45:45,400 Speaker 1: You know how people used to hate lobster was food 747 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:48,560 Speaker 1: for orphans. Yeah yeah, Well in certain areas where where 748 00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:51,040 Speaker 1: there was too much, too much lobster going around, you know, 749 00:45:51,120 --> 00:45:53,799 Speaker 1: its servants had to had to. There was a law 750 00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:56,600 Speaker 1: that was placed in New England and way back in 751 00:45:56,640 --> 00:45:59,839 Speaker 1: the day that was like, y'all cannot service lobster more 752 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:02,799 Speaker 1: than three times a week for serious because you start 753 00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:06,080 Speaker 1: to get that rabbit starvation that's all you eat. But 754 00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:08,600 Speaker 1: I guess that's a podcast for a different day, along 755 00:46:08,640 --> 00:46:12,719 Speaker 1: with many of the other conflict resources on the African continent, 756 00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:16,120 Speaker 1: including if you're listening to this on a smartphone, some 757 00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:18,719 Speaker 1: of the stuff inside your phone as you hold it 758 00:46:19,239 --> 00:46:22,640 Speaker 1: right now. I don't know, I don't know where we 759 00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:24,920 Speaker 1: go from there, and yeah, yeah, I'm like, yeah, the 760 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:27,279 Speaker 1: world is terrible. Oh yeah, yeah, Okay, So let's let's 761 00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:29,080 Speaker 1: bring an up note waren. We want to thank you 762 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:34,040 Speaker 1: so much for coming onto our podcast. Where's the best 763 00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:38,160 Speaker 1: place for people to catch you in uh? In the meantime? UM, 764 00:46:38,239 --> 00:46:41,840 Speaker 1: in general, you can go to brain stuff show dot 765 00:46:41,880 --> 00:46:45,400 Speaker 1: com or just how Stuff Works dot com and my 766 00:46:45,480 --> 00:46:48,279 Speaker 1: pictures up there, the one with the bangs. You'll find 767 00:46:48,280 --> 00:46:52,799 Speaker 1: me and you can find learn on YouTube dot com 768 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:56,560 Speaker 1: slash how Stuff Works and YouTube dot com slash Brain 769 00:46:56,640 --> 00:47:00,279 Speaker 1: Stuff Show. Oh yeah, and uh f w thing game 770 00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:03,560 Speaker 1: dot com. So yeah, like we said, you're pretty much 771 00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:06,520 Speaker 1: everywhere on the internet. Yeah, and thank you guys so 772 00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:08,719 Speaker 1: much for for having me on the show. This has 773 00:47:08,760 --> 00:47:13,799 Speaker 1: been so much fun, depressing way. Oh yeah, we're gonna 774 00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:16,760 Speaker 1: have to go look at some photos or puppies or something. 775 00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:21,120 Speaker 1: But baby hedgehogs, yeah, baby hedgehogs. Really that's the go 776 00:47:21,200 --> 00:47:25,040 Speaker 1: to now. So if you want to send us an 777 00:47:25,120 --> 00:47:29,960 Speaker 1: uplifting picture of a cute animal, if you enjoyed this podcast, 778 00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:32,040 Speaker 1: well I don't know if enjoyed is the right word, 779 00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:35,839 Speaker 1: but if you thought this podcast was worthwhile, then please 780 00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:38,320 Speaker 1: let us know. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. 781 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:41,319 Speaker 1: You can check out every single podcast we have ever 782 00:47:41,400 --> 00:47:43,920 Speaker 1: done on our website. Stuff they don't want you to 783 00:47:43,960 --> 00:47:46,600 Speaker 1: know dot com. Man, that's a long name. It's the 784 00:47:46,640 --> 00:47:49,200 Speaker 1: best one, though, is it? Every time we say it. 785 00:47:49,360 --> 00:47:52,160 Speaker 1: I part way through saying it, I go wow, I'm 786 00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:55,120 Speaker 1: still saying that name. You got such authority. It's just 787 00:47:55,600 --> 00:47:57,839 Speaker 1: it's so huge. Yeah, it will crush you with its 788 00:47:57,920 --> 00:48:01,960 Speaker 1: LETTERY might lettery might I like get so, Matt. We 789 00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:04,719 Speaker 1: have a lot of listeners who don't really care for 790 00:48:04,760 --> 00:48:07,960 Speaker 1: the social media rigamarole. What if they want to send 791 00:48:08,040 --> 00:48:10,600 Speaker 1: us a topic that we should cover in the future 792 00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:13,480 Speaker 1: and just talk directly to us. Well, here's the thing 793 00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:18,040 Speaker 1: that you can send us an email. We are conspiracy 794 00:48:18,320 --> 00:48:25,280 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com. From more on this topic, 795 00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:30,560 Speaker 1: another unexplained phenomenon, visit YouTube dot com slash conspiracy stuff. 796 00:48:30,840 --> 00:48:32,880 Speaker 1: You can also get in touch on Twitter at the 797 00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:34,920 Speaker 1: handle at conspiracy stuff.